Health emergency declaration discussed for West Plains PFAS crisis

By Aaron Hedge | Range | September 27, 2025

Read the full article by Aaron Hedge (Range)

"Mayor Terri Cooper of Medical Lake knows a thing or two about public emergencies. 

Just two years ago, the Spokane County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) declared an emergency after the Gray Fire destroyed hundreds of homes in her city and killed one person. The move mobilized funding for the response to the disaster. It didn’t make it easy — some residents are still without a proper home — but the declaration made money and resources from the state and federal government more readily available.

There is another, slower-moving crisis affecting nearby people: the “forever chemicals” contamination that came from firefighting operations at two West Plains airports, the Spokane International Airport (SIA) and Fairchild Air Force Base."

Location:

• North AmericaUS
• North AmericaUSWashington

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• Affected community
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses